Jackpot: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK The kind of quick-witted, high-toned genre flick programs like Cinemania were made for, Magnus Martens's Jackpot is a black-comic ride once again demonstrating that sudden windfalls of cash aren't all they're cracked up to be. Though likely to attract remake-rights attention, the pic's success with such worn-out tropes would be tough to replicate, especially considering how much entertainment value comes via idiosyncratic performances...

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Free Samples: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A showcase for up-and-comer Jess Weixler, Free Samples lets the sweet-faced actress play sour, bouncing off a score of costars while her character endures heat and hangover in a desolate parking lot. Jay Gamill's feature debut may get some commercial play from supporting players Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Ritter but, with neither onscreen for long, relies entirely on Weixler's ability to win viewers over. PHOTOS: Tribeca Film Festival...

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Joe Papp in Five Acts: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK An admiring portrait of a transformative figure in the New York theater, Joe Papp in Five Acts shows how much of what this city takes for granted was pioneered by a poor, tough kid from Brooklyn who hid his immigrant roots until well into his career. Stuffed with testimonials from famous collaborators, it will have no trouble attracting and pleasing viewers on public TV. PHOTOS: Tribeca Film Festival 2012: THR's Red Carpet Interviews...

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The Flat: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK An astonishing trip into buried history and the human capacity for self-delusion, The Flat follows filmmaker Arnon Goldfinger as he stumbles across a remarkable bit of history and slowly becomes a part of its thorny psychological terrain. Prospects at the arthouse are strong, assuming marketers can convey what an unusual take on the Holocaust is being offered here. PHOTOS: 12 International Films Debuting at Tribeca Film Festival 2012...

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Journey to Planet X: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK Journey to Planet X is certainly not the first film to document the quixotic ambitions of filmmakers whose visions far exceed their skills. But it does so with a refreshing empathy for its subjects, two men motivated by sheer love of make-believe. Some of the footage presented here would have been far more novel in a pre-YouTube world, but even so, Journey is a well put-together crowd pleaser. PHOTOS: 12 International Films Debuting...

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Wavumba: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK Steeped in legends of spirits but ultimately dominated by the most tangible fact of life, Jeroen van Velzen's Wavumba casts a quiet spell as it follows an old fisherman whose strength has left him. Persuasively atmospheric, the doc -- which earned van Velzen Tribeca's Best New Documentary Director award -- will be well liked on the fest circuit but may have trouble in the commercial arena.Related TopicsTribeca Film Festival The director,...

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Whole Lotta Sole: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK In both his own films and his collaborations with Jim Sheridan, screenwriter-turned-director Terry George has invariably been drawn to serious subject matter, covering the Troubles in Northern Ireland (In the Name of the Father, The Boxer), the corrosive aftermath of family tragedy (Reservation Road), and true stories of an IRA hunger striker (Some Mothers Son) or heroism in the midst of genocide (Hotel Rwanda). He takes an abrupt turn...

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The Hives Unleash 'Lex Hives' in New York: Concert Review

Witnessing a concert by The Hives is to witness The Pelle Almqvist Show: the 33-year-old frontman, whose stage persona combines the peacocky swagger of Mick Jagger and the theatrics of a manic, 19th-century circus ringleader, commands -- no, demands -- full attention from his audience. "This stage might not be big enough for my ego," he snarled during Thursday's "secret" show at New York City's Webster Hall, which reserved its 300-capacity "Studio"...

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While We Were Here: Tribeca Review

Kate Bosworth looks even more gorgeous in black and white as evidenced by While We Were Here, an Italy-set relationship drama that makes the most of the luminous beauty of both its star and the locations of Naples and the island of Ischia off the Amalfi coast. Unfortunately, this tale of an illicit romance between an unhappily married woman and a younger man traffics in far too many genre clichs, beginning with its idyllic locale. If one were...

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Deadfall: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A modern outlaw Western that brings Southern Gothic flavor to the wintry North, Deadfall is slicker and more compelling than its overdetermined script has any right to expect. Headlining Eric Bana in wryly subdued psycho mode, the sinewy genre piece builds to a bloody Thanksgiving dinner faceoff over roast goose and pumpkin pie. Magnolia might want to consider ditching the title for something less generic and positioning this as a nasty...

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The Playroom: Tribeca Review

A rare example of a grown-up story compellingly told from the perspective of children, The Playroom is a modest gem. This 70s-set drama depicting one tumultuous night in a suburban familys lives benefits from the admirably subtle approach by director Julia Dyer, working from a sensitive screenplay penned by her late sister Gretchen, with their brother Stephen serving as one of the producers. Unlike the dysfunctional one depicted onscreen, this...

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Jack and Diane: Tribeca Review

Imagine a teenage lesbian love story directed by David Cronenberg and youll have some sense of the weirdness of Jack and Diane. Bradley Rust Grays attempt to weave horror elements into a fairly conventional narrative yields diminishing returns in this overly stylized effort receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The title characters -- not to be confused with the subjects of John Mellencamps hit tune -- are Diane (Juno Temple),...

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What’s in a Name? (Le Prenom): Film Review

A bunch of forty-something buddies find their dinner date transformed into a dinner disaster in Whats in a Name? (Le Prenom), an amusing and well-acted French farce in the pure tradition of boulevard classics Le Diner de cons and Le Pere Noel est une ordure. Adapting their highly successful stage version to the screen with keen comic-timing but much less cinematic panache, Mathieu Delaporteand Alexandre de la Patelliereoffer up a lively take...

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Lola Versus: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A breakup-breakdown comedy providing a welcome showcase for Greta Gerwig, Daryl Wein's Lola Versus marks a strong step up for Wein and his returning Breaking Upwards co-writer Zoe Lister-Jones. Convincing in its depiction of late-20s romantic anxiety (if not of that age bracket's real estate realities), it is broadly appealing without bowing too deeply to formula. On the morning of her 29th birthday, Lola (Gerwig) wakes from one dream...

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Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK Building a surprisingly powerful portrait around a single, long-forgotten scrap of film, Raymond De Felitta's Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story combines present-day reporting with archival material to investigate an unsung hero of the Civil Rights era. Beautifully put together in just about every way, it will be potent stuff on the small screen but deserves its moment in theaters. PHOTOS: 10 of Tribeca 2012's Films to Watch De Felitta,...

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Any Day Now: Tribeca Review

Depictions of custody battles have become a cinematic staple, but few register with the heartfelt emotion of Any Day Now. This 1970s Los Angeles-set drama about a gay couple fighting to adopt a Down syndrome-afflicted teenager is only loosely inspired by a real story, but the smart screenplay by director Travis Fine and George Arthur Bloom has the ring of truth. And the issues raised by this film receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Film...

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Rubberneck: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A character-driven take on true-crime fare, Alex Karpovsky's Rubberneck marks a solid dramatic turn for a filmmaker best known for playing comedic parts in indie films like Tiny Furniture. Though not showy in any way, it could find enough support on the fest circuit to justify a theatrical run. PHOTOS: 10 of Tribeca 2012's Films to Watch Karpovsky plays Paul, a scientist who strikes up a conversation at a party with new coworker Danielle...

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Francophrenia: Tribeca Review

Like an art-school reimagining of the standard making-of featurette, the Frankensteined Francophrenia culls through 40 hours of mundane backstage material to produce something that looks and sounds like experimental cinema but feels more like one big inside joke. It's an inside joke we're all invited to enjoy, though, and the oddball pic makes a diverting cult object to slot alongside other unusual side projects by actor/student/artist/et cetera...

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Struck by Lightning: Tribeca Review

Chris Colfer of "Glee" stays in familiar territory with his screenwriting debut, which basically plays like an extended episode of that hit show minus the musical interludes. The tale of a high school misfit whos clearly smarter than everyone else in the room and is sure to let everyone know it, Struck by Lightning strains hard for quirky social satire but proves mostly wearisome. It will take smart marketing and a big turnout by Colfers die-hard...

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Mansome: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK Pointless but consistently amusing, Morgan Spurlock's Mansome works best when it tacitly admits its investigation of contemporary male grooming is a just-for-laughs affair. Its superficial sociology makes a fine setting for comic riffs on the identity crisis faced by Today's Male, but doesn't necessarily justify a theatrical outing. Without question, cultural expectations for men have been in flux for decades; some earnest documentarian...

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Nancy, Please: Tribeca Review

You wouldnt think that a film about a graduate students attempts to retrieve his copy of the book Little Dorrit from a former roommate would make for compelling viewing. But Nancy, Please, Andrew Semans arresting feature debut receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, turns out to be just that. This subtly engrossing psychological thriller plays like an intellectual version of Fatal Attraction, minus the sex and the dead bunny....

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Fame High: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK An ordinary look at four extraordinary kids, Scott Hamilton Kennedy's Fame High sticks firmly to convention but will please viewers who can't help but want the doc's sympathetic teens to escape the heartbreak most would-be artists face. Small screens are the most appropriate venue for this look at a performing-arts high school in Los Angeles. Following four students through a single school year at the Los Angeles County High School for...

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Replicas: Tribeca Review

A violent home invasion tale is infused with psychological and social undertones in Jeremy Power Regimbals film making its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. But while Replicas admirably attempts to add interesting subtext to a by now familiar genre, it ultimately pales in comparison to such truly terrifying predecessors as Funny Games. Most notable for its strong sense of atmosphere and the arresting performances by its leads, it does...

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Safe: Film Review

LONDON -- The former athlete and model whose relatively short action-hero career has generated more than a billion dollars of box office business, Jason Statham sticks within his narrow but highly marketable range in this fast-moving New York gangland thriller. Though Safe initially seems a little darker and more thoughtful than the British stars previous comic-book escapades in Death Race, The Expendables or the Transporter trilogy, it ultimately...

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Freaky Deaky: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A goofily retro stew of Elmore Leonard double-dealing and broadcast TV-friendly sleaze, Charles Matthau's Freaky Deaky is just about diverting enough for a midday rerun slot on cable. Set in 1974 Detroit, but looking like it was photographed last week, the pic opens in an all-green den where shag-carpet steps lead to a hot tub with a throne built into it. The crime lord sitting there is about to be blown up -- a murder bomb-squad detective...

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Revenge for Jolly: Tribeca Review

Screenwriter Brian Pestos leads the pic as Harry, whose unspecified-but-shady actions have made someone angry enough to break into his house and kill his much-beloved Miniature Pinscher, Jolly. With cousin Cecil (Oscar Isaac), Harry goes on a beer-fueled hunt for the culprit, stalking through the night in an old burgandy Cadillac whose trunk holds a small arsenal. Each stop on their dopey-detective path holds a celeb or two, each of whom quickly...

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The Giant Mechanical Man: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A romance whose anodyne find-your-bliss theme is likeable but underwhelming, Lee Kirk's The Giant Mechanical Man doesn't fully exploit its premise's charms. A cast of familiar faces helps theatrical prospects, though, especially with everyone playing roles well within their comfort zones. PHOTOS: 10 of Tribeca 2012's Films to Watch Jenna Fischer (writer/director Kirk's wife) plays Janice, whose persistent inability to find a suitable...

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Cheerful Weather for the Wedding: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK A sustained balancing act between dry upper-crust cynicism and pent-up passions, Donald Rice's Cheerful Weather for the Wedding maintains its uneasy stasis long enough to frustrate some romance-hungry viewers while tantalizing those for whom withheld pleasure is the whole point. Spot-on production values and a fine cast should help it win enough of the undecided to make a strong showing at arthouses.Related TopicsTribeca Film Festival...

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Let Fury Have the Hour: Tribeca Review

NEW YORK Cheerleading for a couple of generations of artists who've viewed their output as a struggle against right-wing politics, Antonino D'Ambrosio's Let Fury Have the Hour is stuffed with "right on!" moments and attractive image-making. But its fuzzy focus limits the breadth of its appeal -- while it's easy to imagine groups of Occupy activists hosting well-received screenings, the doc will be a harder sell in the broader nonfiction arena....

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